{"id":1248437,"date":"2024-01-12T18:15:15","date_gmt":"2024-01-13T00:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/?p=1248437"},"modified":"2024-08-21T12:21:47","modified_gmt":"2024-08-21T17:21:47","slug":"can-the-nike-alphafly-3-help-you-run-a-new-pr-without-even-trying","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.snkrsday.com\/can-the-nike-alphafly-3-help-you-run-a-new-pr-without-even-trying\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the Nike AlphaFly 3 Help You Run a New PR (Without Even Trying)?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Nike\u2019s latest super running sneaker has already helped break world records, but we tested it to see how fast it can really help a regular guy beat a personal one.<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny chance I could convince you to take a little trip this weekend?\u201d My friend Joe Holder texted me a few days after Thanksgiving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDepends on where, but I\u2019m open to it,\u201d I replied coyly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The location: Grand Cayman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason: to fill a spot on a relay team running the Cayman Islands Marathon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On one hand, a weekend away from the cold of New York was appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, it\u2019s right in the thick of the holiday season while I was still digesting pumpkin pie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I consider myself a fairly active person, I was not truly prepared to run a 10K leg in a 26.2 mile relay race at my personal best. I also knew that whatever team Joe was putting together was not going to be a bunch of slouches. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to being a Master Trainer for the Nike Well Collective, Joe rolls with (and helps build) some of the healthiest humans on the planet. Oh, and the man also raced a horse<\/a> recently, just to see if he could beat it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Needless to say I was a little insecure about potentially letting the relay team down with my slow and sexy pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I was going to keep up, I needed all the help I could get from friends at Nike, which came in the form of the AlphaFly 3. A prototype of the running sneaker helped pro runner Kevin Kiptum to break a men\u2019s world-record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, but could the final retail version help me hit a new PR in the 10K with very little training and preparation? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trialing them at the Cayman Islands Marathon Team Relay seemed like the perfect place to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sneaker<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The moment the shoes arrived, the first thing I noticed was how light the box was. It almost felt like it had been delivered with the actual sneakers missing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It got even more surprising when I took the shoes out of the packaging. The AlphaFly 3 is the lightest in the series and it felt feathery in a size 9.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll get into tech aspects later, but let\u2019s talk aesthetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re into sneakers, you\u2019re probably familiar with the feeling of turning someone\u2019s head with your shoes. I\u2019ve been fortunate to be able to do this at least a handful of times, but this is the first time that it happened with a pair of modern-day performance running shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It actually happened a couple of times over the weekend. The first was the day before the race where I first broke out the shoes to go on a shakeout run with my new teammates. To my surprise, the sneakers became an instant icebreaker for conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next was at the race itself while I was waiting for the relay baton to be passed to me. Another runner in the corral hit me with a \u201cHow\u2019d you get those?\u201d and several other questions that caused me to almost miss the handoff from my teammate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Running<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The pre-race shakeout run was on an abandoned golf course, so the terrain was mostly on beaten paths of grass and some gravel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The high-packed Zoom X foam makes the sneaker feel springy, but also kind of like you\u2019re standing on platforms. And the tradeoff for having a super lightweight sneaker is a skinny knit upper that doesn\u2019t offer a lot in terms of stability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both of these factors make using the shoe a little precarious on a non-paved or un-smooth surface, but manageable as long as you\u2019re more using them on a rocky trail run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unusual for me to run a race in a pair of shoes that I haven\u2019t tried a few times beforehand, but I felt pretty confident in the AlphaFly 3 after just a couple miles off road. I also had no choice because it was the only pair of running sneakers I packed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it came to race day and I got the baton passed to me, it was finally time to test the AlphaFly 3 on the terrain it was intended for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first couple miles in the sneaker felt like driving a Ferrari on an open road. The AlphaFly 3 almost seduces you to open up and push the limits of your personal speed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under the hood lies a Nike Air Zoom unit, carbon fiber Flyplate, and a continuous bottom, which is an update from the previous model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like a high-performance sports car, the beauty of the shoe can also be dangerous, especially to an untrained driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At this particular moment, I\u2019m that untrained driver running this race with no real preparation for a PR or mapped out strategy for how to pace the course. I\u2019m full-on improvising in a brand-new pair of sneakers, just running off of vibes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With every race, whether prepared for or not, come unforeseen factors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this one, there was the heat. I had only been running on treadmills and fall-like weather for the past few weeks prior, and the summer-y Cayman climate was starting to elevate my heart rate higher than usual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another factor was my socks. I prefer to run in basketball socks, which are usually a bit thicker than normal running ones. The combo of thick socks, my flat foot, and this shoe scrunched together caused a blister about halfway through my 10K portion of the relay race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t think this is an issue with the shoe itself, but more my personal ergonomics and socks I chose. Either way my left foot started bleeding through the white knit upper of the AlphaFly3. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the slight discomfort, I didn\u2019t want to stop and readjust my socks in fear of messing up my time because I could feel a new personal record within reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Verdict<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Missed a PR by a matter of 15 seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was disappointing because hitting a new PR would\u2019ve made a better story, but to even have a second-fastest personal 10K time under the conditions is quite a feat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it because of the Nike AlphaFly 3? I do think the shoes made up for some of the deficiencies in my preparation, but not entirely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also something to holding a loose grip on the outcome of a race and just being open enough to see what happens. You run faster when you\u2019re relaxed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We tend to put a lot of emphasis on achieving a particular goal, when we should pay just as much attention to the process of trying to reach that goal. If we only consider a race succesful if we hit a new PR, we miss things that are part of running like catching up with friends, making new ones, or simply enjoying the run itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those are the things that are open to anyone who decides to go for a run, regardless of speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Keep it locked on Snkrs Day<\/a> on Instagram and the sneaker release dates<\/a> page to stay on top of the latest news and drops. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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